The Trouble With Love 2
by Wildwoodluver
Summary: Just when they thought their problems were gone, Jacob and Nessie must face even harder choices and more hurtful lies. This is a continuation of The Trouble With Love so please read that first to understand everything. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Jake

I have no idea how I ended up being here but I felt extremely uncomfortable. Hospitals freak me out; they always have, along with doctors. It might sound strange but there is just something about doctors that make me uneasy, apart from Dr. Cullen of course. They just seem to bring with them unpleasant emotions and I have yet to see one pass by here smiling. It creeps me out, this whole place does. But looking through my past experience with hospitals and doctors, it makes sense; there has never been an experience with them that has turned out well.

The first to come to mind is the accident my mother and father had gotten into; the memory still stored flawlessly in the back of my mind. I remember sitting with Charlie and my sisters in this exact waiting room, not knowing whether or not to believe what Charlie was assuring me; that my parents were going to be just fine. Looking back now it was clear that he had little faith in his own words: the watery gaze in his eyes, the shakiness of his voice and the expressions on his and my sisters faces as we waited silently for the news. I had only been six, not old enough to really grasp what was going on; only knowing that there was an accident and that both my parents were badly hurt. We had sat there for what seemed like twelve hours, barely moving other than to use the bathroom or get a snack.

Then the doctor came out, his face sullen and difficult to read, at least for me. Charlie had told me and my sisters to stay where we were, but Rebecca refused and went up with him, leaving me and Rachel alone. I remember the soft murmur of the doctor's voice and then Charlie bowing his head into his hands, nodding several times as Rebecca stared up at both of them silently, not moving. Then as clear as if it had happened yesterday I remember the awful feeling in the pit of my stomach as Rebecca suddenly collapsed to the ground, banging her fists on the floor and sobbing. Rachel's arms had tightened around me as she began to weep. I had no idea what happened, but I knew it wasn't good, so I began to cry too. Through my tears I saw the doctor pat Charlie on the shoulder and give me one look of sympathy before he walked off and from then on that cold expression on his face had remained etched in my brain.

After that came the death of my grandmother who had been staying with us to help my father take care of me and my sisters. Now bound to a wheelchair, my father had trouble raising three kids on his own so he called his widowed mother in law to help him. She stayed with us for two years but passed away from a heart attack right before I turned nine. Once again a terrible experience in that awful waiting room. A different doctor had delivered the news but he still looked the same to me, cold and unmoving, a bringer of bad news. After that Charlie and Harry had been around the house more often. My sisters and I were old enough now where we did not really need too much help, but they were there if we needed them.

The most recent was when Harry Clearwater had died. I didn't find out in a hospital but I was there when the doctor delivered the news at his home. From then on I have been convinced that doctors and I just don't go together. Sure they are there to help people, but I avoid them as much as possible. Dr. Cullen is the one exception to this because he, unlike other doctors, actually smiles and has helped the people I love. It's strange even associating him in the same category as other doctors. I see him as the one in the actual hospital rooms, saving people's lives, not the one delivering bad news. And how could I possibly feel any differently? He has saved Nessie's life, several times. He saved my life, and Bella's and just about every member of the Cullen family's. He was the doctor of all doctors. Too bad he wasn't here…

Dr. Cullen had to change hospitals; he couldn't work at Fork's Hospital any longer because he had pushed his lie to a point where it would seem impossible. There was no way he could pass for 34 years old, he barely looked thirty. So he now works at a hospital a few towns away and therefore could not be here to save this girl's life. Instead it was being left to doctors with much less experience and expertise.

But why did I have to be here? It's not like I know this girl personally, she's a friend of Nessie's, Tara I believe her name is. While everyone else was off at school to suppress any rumors flying around about the prior incidents of this past week, I have to be here making sure she's okay. But since you need to have some kind of relation to her, which I do not, I have to pretend to be her brother. Jasper got me a fake I.D that says my name is Jacob Thompson and that I'm 23 years old. It passed without any speculation, as they had all assured me it would. Luckily she is tan enough where she could pass as possibly being Native American or if that didn't work I could say one of us was adopted. But no one seemed to notice or even care, which the Cullen's had been counting on.

For the past hour I have been contemplating leaving, I shouldn't be here. It would freak her out anyway, if she was told her brother was here and she actually has no brother. I've been suffering here for three hours, how much longer was I expected to stay? She _was_ in pretty bad shape and even though I didn't know her personally I hoped that she would be okay. It wasn't fair that she should be put through all this when she had nothing to do with it.

I had spent the last two hours thinking about the possible explanation for what had happened. She was attacked that's for sure, but none of us know by what exactly. I recognized her immediately in the woods when Nessie and I had turned to see her standing there, clutching her stomach and bleeding profusely. She was one of the two girls that Brianna had hypnotized. Nessie said that she had told both of them to run at some point during the fight but after that we don't have a clue to what happened.

As Nessie and I stared in shock, Tara remained still, tears running down her cheek with cuts and scrapes all over her body. My guess would be that a vampire was responsible but the fact that she was still alive while covered in blood made me think again. A vampire would never be able to leave a girl bleeding so terribly, he'd drink all her blood for sure, it didn't make sense. Something could have scared it off, that's a possibility, but it could have been something else…

Then there's the mystery of where her friend Danielle could have gone. I along with my brothers searched the area for her but she was nowhere to be found. Edward, Bella, and Nessie drove over to her house and searched the area but she wasn't there either. Her cell phone went straight to voicemail as Nessie spent the entire night desperately calling her and other friends from school, but no one had seen her. There was only one logical answer, she was clearly taken. Whether she was alive or dead was the question, but I didn't want to scare Nessie. That's one of the reasons why I hope this Tara girl is okay. Not only can she give us information but it would kill Nessie if she didn't make it. She would blame herself no doubt, which would be ridiculous, but just like her mother she always felt it came down to it being her fault.

We of course were not able to get the answers we needed since after about a minute of trying to get her to tell us what happened she collapsed to the ground. She hasn't woken up since. Carlisle tried to fix her up in his office but she was hurt too badly and needed immediate surgery that he couldn't do himself. She's been here all night which gets me worried, shouldn't they know if she's going to be okay by now?

I walked up to desk for the third time, clearly annoying the receptionist to no end as she gave me a death like stare.

"Hi." I said as I reached the counter. She continued to stare at me, scrunching her eyes together and tapping her one fake fingernail on the desk. I took a deep breath, annoyed at her arrogance.

"Does _anyone_ know if she's okay? Is there someone that can let me know please, I've been here for three hours."

"No." She answered immediately, not even checking.

My temper was getting the best of me. Taking another deep breath to stop the shaking, my hands automatically gripped onto the counter, nearly breaking it apart. I needed to relax; people probably wouldn't react well to a werewolf in the hospital. Bowing my head down I thought about Nessie, which always seemed to work. My heart beat lowered and I no longer felt the urge to rip the girl's head off, or at least not as much as I had before. Lifting my eyes up slowly to meet hers, I tried to stifle a laugh as she stared at me no longer glaring but with her eyes wide and mouth agape. She was scared. Good.

"Are you sure you have no idea?" I asked and she immediately began searching through her records.

"Um…I'm not sure…I'll call the doctor and find out for you."

"Thank you."

I stood up, relaxed now, and looked around the room. It was pretty crowded but no one seemed to notice my little episode. Turning back towards the receptionist, she was still on the phone saying, yes and no several times before hanging up.

"Dr. Williams will be with you shortly."

"Thanks." I said and went back to the uncomfortable chair. It only took about three minutes and then a tall man with grayish hair, a white coat, and clipboard was standing next to me.

"Jacob Thompson?"

"Yeah that's me. Is she okay?" I asked as I stood up, surpassing him in height by at least four inches.

He looked down at his clipboard, not smiling or giving me any clue to how she was. I was getting impatient. Was she okay or not? Spit it out!

"Well? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. The surgery went well but she's going to need to stay here for a couple more days. Do you know what happened to her?" He asked, lifting his gaze from his clipboard and looking up at me.

"I think it was an animal attack." It was the only explanation I could think of that would make sense. But then he shocked me by laughing. He thought this was funny? A girl was almost killed and he was laughing!

"Animal attack. That's a plausible excuse I suppose." He mumbled to himself, looking back down at his notes. What was he talking about?

"What did you just say?" I asked him. He stopped laughing now, and stared up at me with a very serious expression.

"Nothing. Never mind…"

"No what did you just say? You think I'm lying?"

"I never said that."

"What do _you_ think did that to her then?" I was curious to see what better reasoning this doctor could think of. What could make more sense than an animal attack?

He didn't answer but just continued to stare at me, almost as if he was analyzing me. I didn't like it at all. Then suddenly he smiled.

"How do you know Tara again?" He asked me.

"I'm her brother."

"Her brother? Really?"

"Why?"

"You don't look like her at all."

"I was adopted."

"I see. You're Native American?"

"Yes." I answered hesitantly. I didn't like where this was going. Why was he so interested in me?

"Hmm…" He looked me over some more and I felt extremely uneasy. This is why I hate doctors. What is this guys problem? Then it hit me. Did he know what I was? Or at least did he have suspicions? That's seemed probable, maybe he knew of the stories. Or maybe he's just one of those really superstitious people who thought they knew everything. Our secret was safe that was for sure, no one from our tribe had blabbed but who knows. I might as well use it to my advantage.

"Can I see her?" I asked him, moving forward and his smile faltered as he backed away.

"Um…she's not…"

"I think I should see her. I'm a really impatient person and I've been here for a very long time." I glared down at him and just like the receptionist, his whole face went pale and his eyes got wide. But he didn't look afraid as much as shocked. Shocked I suppose that maybe all his speculations might actually be right.

He moved aside, mumbling the room number, and I strode past him, laughing to myself before I reached the door. That was kind of fun.

Slowly and quietly I creaked the door open and peaked my head in. She was asleep, bandaged up on her head and arms. She looked much better than when I last saw her. I made my way inside, not wanting to wake her but at the same time needing to do my job. The second part of my task was to get information out of her. I hoped that she would remember me and wouldn't freak out that this random guy was in her room. I pulled a seat over and sat by her bed, debating whether I should let her sleep a bit or just wake her up. She looked so peaceful, I would feel bad about it, but then again I was exhausted myself. I needed to get home and sleep. That and see Nessie.

Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone. I could fall asleep here until she woke up, that way I was doing my job but I got some rest at the same time. Yeah, that's a good plan. I rested my head on the corner of the bed, placing my arms underneath and immediately felt my eyes droop.

I woke up to someone poking my arm. Looking up I was met with a pair of wide dark brown eyes staring at me in alarm. Tara was awake now and from the look on her face she didn't remember me at all.

"Oh um… hi Tara. I don't know if you remember me…"

"I do." She said, surprising me. Her expression softened a bit but she still appeared confused.

"Oh. Good. Um…how do you feel?"

"I'm okay I guess. What are you doing here?" As she spoke I couldn't help but notice how soft her voice was, it was clear she was on the shy side. I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable but I needed information.

"I'm just making sure your okay. Nessie is at school and she wanted me to check up on you. You really scared us in the woods."

She continued to stare at me, the confused look on her face seeming to get deeper. Then she stared down at her lap, I assumed she was trying to remember what happened.

"I'm Jacob by the way. Nessie's boyfriend." At that she glanced back up at me in shock.

"Oh. I didn't know Nessie had a boyfriend."

"Yeah well it's recent. Tara do you have any idea…"

"Where are my parents?" That was a good question.

"Oh…um I really don't know I'm sorry. Edward, um Nessie's brother, called them but they weren't home. I'm sure they'll get the message though." She appeared sad about something and I felt a bit awkward. I didn't know what to say to her.

"There probably in Vegas."

"Vegas?"

"Yeah they go to the casinos a lot."

"Oh…well then they just didn't get the message yet. I'm sure they'll be home soon."

She nodded, still distressed. I didn't want to get her more worked up but I needed to get some information from her.

"Tara, do you remember what happened to you?"

She shook her head. "No. I just remember being in a lot of pain and then…"

Suddenly her eyes got wide.

"Danielle."

"What about Danielle? Did you see what happened to her? Do you know where she is?"

"She…she was taken…"

"By who? Tara look at me who took her? What happened?"

"I…I don't know. It was all so fast. We were running. And then…it's all such a blur to me…"

I rubbed her arm up and down, trying to get her to relax as I noticed tears start to run down her cheek.

"Tara listen to me, it's really important that you remember what happened. Try really hard…" She stared at me, thoughtfully.

"We were running and then she screamed. I remember seeing her on the ground and she was bleeding badly. Then…then I was on the ground. She was screaming…all I remember is her screaming a lot. Someone was scratching me and hitting me but I couldn't see. And then her scream faded, like she was being carried away. And…I can't remember what happened after. I saw Nessie and you were next to her, I remember that…" She began to sob and I wasn't sure what I should do. I patted her shoulder but then she grabbed my shirt and wrapped her arms around me, crying into my shoulder. I didn't want to be rude and push her away but I was a tad uncomfortable with this.

"It's okay Tara. Everything is going to be okay." I said quietly. Then the door swung open and a woman's squeal rang through the room. I jumped and let go of Tara quickly. In the doorway stood saw a short, older woman with long brown hair and dressed in evening wear despite it being mid-afternoon. Next to her was a tall man with dark hair wearing dress pants and a knit sweater. Even if I hadn't been in their house and seen how much money they have, I would be able to tell just by their appearance. These were Tara's parents.

Her mother ran into the room and would have sent be to the floor if I hadn't been so strong; hugging her daughter tightly and rubbing her hands along the bandages.

"Oh sweetie I'm so sorry we weren't home. Your father and I took a trip to The Palms to meet up with some of his friends and…oh I feel so terrible!"

"It's fine mom." Tara said quietly.

"What happened to you?" Her mother asked.

"Um…I…"

"It was an animal attack." I said and for the first time her parents looked over at me.

"Who are you?" Her father asked, a bit rudely.

"I'm Jacob, a friend of Tara's. I'm the one who took her to the hospital." They looked me up and down and then her mother smiled slightly.

"Well, thank you. You…you say an animal did this?"

"Yes Tara was in the woods…"

"What the hell were you doing in the woods?" Her father asked.

"I…I was…" Once again Tara looked back and forth between her parents, unable to think of an excuse.

"You were looking for Danielle right? She's gone missing." I told them. Her mother's eyes got large as she gasped and covered her mouth.

"She's missing? Oh dear. And to think that could have been you...you are not to leave the house except for school until she is found young lady. Do you understand?" Tara nodded and then gave me a weak smile.

"Wait how do you know all of this, Jacob was it?"

"Yeah…well…"

"I told him about it. Or what I remember." Tara helped me out this time.

"Hmm…I don't think we've ever met Jacob. Are you a close friend of Tara's?"

We looked at each other. I didn't want to make her look dumb so I just nodded and smiled.

"Yeah we are good friends…" I told them.

"Are you her boyfriend?" Her mother asked, smiling slightly. Okay this was getting out of hand now. I was about to tell them that we were just good friends but Tara answered before me.

"Yes." She looked at me for a second and I'm pretty sure my face had gone from friendly to pure shock.

"Yes he's my boyfriend." She told them, taking my hand in hers and smiling at her parents.

Well this sucks.


	2. Chapter 2

Jake

I sat there frozen staring at the wall, not really understanding how this happened. How all of a sudden I now have two girlfriends, one of which I know absolutely nothing about. Tara's parents eyed me up and down and tried to make conversation but I ignored them; I could care less what they thought because none of it was true. After about fifteen minutes they decided to leave for their house so that they could bring Tara back a change of clothes. When the door shut behind them I finally contained myself and turned slowly to face her. I raised one eyebrow and glared; that was enough for her to get the hint. She stared wide eyed at me appearing distressed. When she didn't say anything I decided to start.

"So…do you mind explaining to me what that was all about?"

She continued to look nervously at me and then one side of her mouth lifted into a small smile.

"I know that was stupid, I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me." She did look sorry so I couldn't really be angry with her, especially when she was bandaged up and bruised.

"Yeah alright, it's fine. Just make sure when they come back they know the truth." I began to get up to leave but her expression had me backtracking. Her eyebrows were pulled together giving me the impression she was very confused about something.

"What?" I asked her.

"I can't tell them the truth."

A mixture of annoyance and exhaustion ran through me as I sat back down.

"And why the hell not?"

"Look Jacob I've never had a boyfriend. Like ever. And…well did you see my parent's faces?"

"Yeah they looked pissed."

"No, no they weren't pissed. I mean they were judging you a bit but my mom was _smiling_. She's secretly happy I have a boyfriend, I know it! I can't say I was lying, they'd be so mad at me."

"Ugh Tara, we aren't dating though! I have a girlfriend, you know your friend Nessie…the one who sent me here to make sure you are okay. I'm sorry but I just don't have those feelings for…"

"You don't have to! We don't actually have to date I just need my parents to believe it! Please Jacob just don't say anything to Nessie about it…no one has to know but my parents…_please._"

This was killing me. She looked so desperate and I felt bad, but honestly this was a really bad idea. Somehow it would get out, I could feel it.

"Tara…I don't know…it's…"

"Please Jacob. You don't even have to speak to me anymore. You'll never have to see me again, I swear! Pretend this never happened it's as easy as that."

I looked down, contemplating it. I suppose I could just act like this conversation never took place…

"Nessie will never find out." She added reassuringly.

Ugh, how do I always get myself in these terrible positions? I guess it couldn't hurt…

"Alright Tara. I suppose it can't hurt for your parents to believe we are dating. But they are the only ones, got it?"

"I promise." She grinned widely at me and it felt pretty good to make her feel happy. I was glad my job here had some purpose.

"Okay well I better get going, um, feel better." I rubbed her hand once and then got up to leave. She watched me go, smiling, with one last wave before I shut the door.

My stomach was queasy and for some reason I suddenly got worried that I had made the wrong choice. Yeah it helped her out with her parents but somehow, someway, this was going to come back and haunt me.

I glanced at the clock on my way out and it was already four o'clock. Sighing, I took out my cell phone and noticed that I had three missed calls. They were all from Nessie; my heart sank. Relax Jake, keep it cool, I had to continually tell myself. I pressed the send button, anxious to hear her voice.

"Jake where have you been!" She answered instantly before I even had a chance to greet her.

"Nice to hear from you too." I joked.

"Sorry you just had me worried sick. Where are you?"

"Leaving the hospital now, I…got caught up."

"Caught up? Is everything alright, is Tara okay?"

"Yeah, yeah she's fine. She has a few bruises and scrapes but she'll be okay."

"Oh good! Any word about Danielle?"

"Yeah well…it's probably better if I explain in person to everyone."

"That doesn't sound good."

"Everything is going to be okay Nessie, I promise."

"Alright, I'll see you in a little."

"Bye."

I hated making her worry; I shouldn't have even said anything. When I reached the woods I began running, it wasn't nearly as fast as when I was in wolf form but I couldn't exactly phase when I had all these clothes on. It took me an extra ten minutes to get back to the Cullen's, but waiting outside on the porch to greet me was Nessie. I swear she becomes more and more gorgeous every time I see her.

Running up, I wrapped my arms around her small body, tangling my fingers in her hair as she gripped tightly onto my back.

"I missed you." She said softly.

"I missed you more." I gently moved her face back so that I could kiss her. She kissed back, running her fingers through my hair and securing our lips together for at least two full minutes. But it was just fine by me. It probably would have reached three but leave it to Rosalie to ruin the moment.

"Ew, stop, please." I reluctantly released Nessie and slowly turned to face Rosalie standing in the doorway.

"Seriously Nessie I don't know how you do it." She said and I was losing my patience with her.

"Shut it Blondie. Unless you'd like me to roll around in your sheets again." I grinned at her as she scowled and walked back into the house.

"Come on let's go inside, everyone's anxious to hear what's going on." Nessie said holding my hand and leading me inside.

In the living room sat all the Cullen's spread out in different spots as usual, but when they saw us come in they quickly migrated to one spot in the center of the room.

"Nessie told us that Tara is okay." Bella verified, stepping towards me.

"Yeah she'll be okay. As for Danielle, I'm really not sure. She...well I think she was taken by someone."

The room was silent as they mused over this. Nessie's face fell and she let go of my hand to sit on the closest chair.

"What did Tara tell you?" Carlisle asked.

"Well she doesn't remember much. They had run off during the fight and then they were attacked. She can't remember by what exactly but she does recall hearing Danielle screaming and says she sounded like she was being carried away. I mean it makes sense to conclude that she's been captured. But by who…"

"It could be anyone." Rosalie said.

"Well we can cross out the Volturi. They were with us during the fight." Said Emmett.

"Not necessarily. Not all the members were present the whole time…" Edward said and he had a point.

"It doesn't make sense though. Why would any vampire capture Danielle and leave then Tracy bleeding?" Rosalie asked.

"Tara." Nessie corrected her.

"It wasn't just one vampire. It had to be at least two, maybe more." I mentioned. Everyone thought this over.

"Well let's think about this…who else could have done this other than the Volturi…" Bella spoke.

"I mean it's possible it was just some random vampires who were thirsty but again there is no way they would have left Tara behind like that…it had to be a vampire with a lot of control and a set purpose." Jasper said. This was ridiculous, right when all our problems seemed to be solved, another begins.

"Did she seem suspicious at all when you talked to her…you know about us?" Rosalie asked me.

I shook my head but really wasn't paying attention to the question because Nessie was clearly worked up.

"If she says anything I swear…" Rosalie threatened as she paced the room with Emmett following right behind her, trying to calm her down.

Nessie was leaning over with her head resting in hands. It killed me seeing her like this. Walking over to her, I tried to get her to relax but she was extremely upset about this. I didn't realize these girls were meant so much to her. It was more likely that she felt guilty and responsible for getting them into this mess. But it was Brianna who did this, Nessie wasn't to blame in the least. Eventually I got her to move her hands from her face.

"Hey you wanna go hunt?"

She shook her head.

"Come on Nessie, it'll help take your mind of things. You have to eat." After a little more convincing she finally agreed and we raced off into the woods. I remained in human form but had no trouble keeping pace with her. It was clear she wasn't putting much energy into running and finding her food. After a couple deer we slowed down to a walk. I held her hand, rubbing her soft skin with my thumb.

"Everything will work itself out Nessie I promise."

"You always say that." She smiled slightly and she was right. I did.

"I'm usually right though aren't I?"

"Sometimes. I just…I can't help but feel responsible…if I hadn't…"

"Stop it Nessie. This is _not_ your fault. How could you have prevented this?"

"I don't know…what did Tara say at the hospital? Did she seem suspicious about us?"

"No I don't think she remembered much of anything to be honest. She was more worried about Danielle."

"Thank you for going there Jake. I know that probably wasn't exactly fun for you…"

"Of course Nessie. You know I'd do anything for you." We had stopped walking at this point. I was facing her, holding both her hands in mine, twining our fingers together. She looked up at me, staring deeply into my eyes, her mouth forming a small smile. I couldn't resist and took her lips in mine, slowly but passionately kissing her. She took one of her hands and placed it on my cheek and laid the other on my chest. Our mouths moved in sync and I could taste the sweetness of her breath on my tongue. Placing my hand on her back, I moved our bodies closer to one another so that there was very little space between us. It took me a second to realize that I had at some point pushed her against a tree but she didn't seem to notice either.

After about three minutes I had run out of breath and slowly began kissing down her neck. She leaned her head back and sucked in deeply, her chest rising and falling against mine.

"Nessie…" I mumbled against her throat. She clung onto my hair as I kissed my way up and down her neck. Then she gently pulled my lips back to hers.

"Jake…" She whispered when her lips left mine for a brief second.

"Hmm…" I mumbled back, unable to answer with anything more.

"I…love you…"

My lips paused, lingering over hers. She looked up at me and I noticed then that there was something different about her eyes. Some kind of emotion that I wasn't familiar with lingering in her gaze. I stroked her cheek, no longer kissing her, just staring back.

"I love you too Nessie. I love you so much." I told her back. She smiled weakly but appeared uncertain about something.

"Is everything alright? Did I do something wrong?" I asked. It didn't seem like I did but who knows…maybe I was moving too fast for her.

"No, of course not. You did nothing wrong…"

"Then what is it?"

It took her a few seconds before she answered, "Jake…do you want to…to go…"

Suddenly she paused and was gazing sheepishly over my shoulder. I followed her stare and standing on four legs behind us were two wolves, Embry and Quil.

"Oh hey guys." I said, hoping they weren't watching that whole display. By the expressions on their faces I would guess that they had just walked in at the very end. The awkwardness was palpable.

"Can I help you guys with something?" I asked but they just exchanged a glance and then I realized that they couldn't exactly answer me when I wasn't in wolf form. I looked back at Nessie but she had already turned around, so I quickly removed my shorts and phased.

"Hey Jake, Sam wants to speak with you." Embry said.

"Oh Okay. Is everything alright?" I asked with my thoughts.

"Yeah everything is fine as far as we know. We are just delivering the message." Quil thought.

"Okay let him know I'll be over soon."

"Will do Jake."

They ran off and I looked back at Nessie. She obviously had no idea what was going and just stood there patiently, staring curiously at me. But there was something off about her expression. Something was bothering her, I could tell. It's usually very easy to read when something is up with her, just like her mother.

I motioned her to spin around but she just continued to stand there smiling.

"What you can't phase in front of me?" She said, raising her one eyebrow.

This caught me off guard. I wasn't sure whether she was joking or not. But after a few beats she sighed and spun around. I quickly went back to two legs and pulled my shorts and shirt back on. Wrapping my arms around her shoulder, she sighed once more and leaned back into my chest.

"Did you really want me to phase in front of you?" I asked, whispering in her ear. I couldn't help but ask; the thought of her wanting to see me with no clothes on was driving me insane. Was she serious or just trying to be funny?

She shrugged. "I don't know I just figured that there's no point in hiding yourself from me. If you're uncomfortable with it though, you don't have to." My heart was beating very quickly. So she wasn't kidding.

Nessie then spun to face me, placing her arms across my shoulder and holding my face close to mine.

I tried to hide the jittery feeling that was running through me but she clearly noticed.

"I shouldn't have said anything." She spoke, annoyed at herself. I didn't want her to feel like that, it wasn't like it was an insult…it was just something I had never thought about…

"No, no I'm fine, it's fine." I smiled down at her and then kissed her softly on the lips once more. She began kissing back and we were about to start back where we had stopped but then I remembered that Sam wanted to talk to me.

Gently I removed her lips from mine and sighed.

"Sam needs to talk to me about something. Probably wants to know the news about Danielle and Tara."

"Oh…okay." She seemed upset.

"I shouldn't be too long…do you wanna come?"

"No, no go, I'll be fine."

"Well I'll walk you home."

"No Jake don't be ridiculous, we are already halfway to Sam's house, it's stupid for you to go all the way back. I'll be okay."

"Nessie I want to…"

"Jake please. I can take care of myself, I'm a big girl."

I still wasn't comfortable with this but she looked serious.

"_Please_ go."

"Alright. Okay I'll see you when I get back." I said tentatively. Leaning down once more I kissed her and then ran off towards Sam's house as she went in the opposite direction.

On my way over there I couldn't help but muse over what had just happened. It was difficult to get Nessie's expression out of my head and I was dying to know what was really bothering her. What was she about to say before the guys came? And then she said she wanted me to phase in front of her…my stomach was in knots, I wasn't honestly sure how I felt about that. I mean were we at that level in our relationship? We love each other, and I'm one hundred percent positive that she's the woman I'm going to marry so I guess it's not really a big deal…

These thoughts lingered in my head by the time I reached Sam's house. But I tried to clear my head so that I could be back on my A game with Sam, he didn't need me to be distracted. I knocked on the door and Emily answered, smiling widely when she saw me.

"Jake! It's great to see you!" She gave me a hug and was looking much better than the last time I saw her. She still had a bandage wrapped around her head but her bruises were hardly noticeable anymore.

"Hey Emily, how are you feeling?"

"I'm better. Come on in."

I walked inside and Emily was in the middle of cooking dinner. It smelled amazing.

"Will you join us for dinner?"

"Oh no I just ate…"

"Jacob please have something. I made plenty." It was tempting. The deer Nessie and I had wasn't that great and her cooking did smell mouthwatering.

"Um, alright I guess I could stay. Thank you."

She smiled and then went back to the pot, stirring whatever was inside.

"Sam will be out in a minute, he's just putting Harry down."

"Oh okay great. How's Harry doing?"

"He's teething, he's in some pain but other than that he's good."

"That's gotta be tough."

She nodded and continued to stir. Then her face softened a bit.

"It's been nice having Sam around lately. You know because he's been taking care of me. Harry misses his father when he's out." I nodded, not sure where she was going with this but I could sympathize. It had to be hard on Emily not knowing where her husband was all the time.

Just then Sam walked out and smiled widely when he saw me.

"Hey Jake. You staying for dinner?"

"Yeah Emily convinced me. It smells great."

"It's almost ready." Emily said smiling back at me and then kissing Sam quickly on the lips.

Sam then sat across from me on the couch, smiling. Maybe I was just being paranoid today but for some reason I felt like they were both acting a bit off. Very cheerful but a bit on edge. I wasn't sure why, maybe I was just imagining things.

"So Jacob, how are things with Nessie?"

"Good, really good."

"Great…oh did you talk to Tara?"

"Yeah she doesn't remember much…" I told him everything she told me but he didn't seem as concerned as I thought he would be. He appeared more anxious to eat than anything.

Emily then called us for dinner and we sat at the table, me sitting across from the two of them. Emily had made sautéed vegetables, steak, and mashed potatoes. It all looked delicious. I quickly dug in but felt myself being watched. The awkward silence filled the air as I noticed the two of them exchanging glances every couple minutes. When I had finished, I sat there eyeing them up. There was definitely something going on that they weren't telling me about. I highly doubted that Sam just invited me over to have dinner.

"Okay what's up with you two? You're acting really strange and to be honest it's freaking me out." They looked guiltily at one another once more and then smiled.

"Alright. You're right. We, well I wanted to talk to you about something." Sam said and he looked nervous. What the hell was going on here?

"Okay…What's up?"

Emily got up to start clearing the table. Then Sam stood up and motioned me to the living room. I didn't know why but I was beginning to feel really nervous myself.

We sat down, across from one another again and he stared at me for a second before he spoke.

Taking a deep breath he said, "Alright Jake…well Emily and I have been talking these past few days. And well I've put a lot of thought into this…"

I continued to stare at him, very curious as to what he was about to say. He was silent for a little and I was losing patience.

"Emily and I are trying to have another baby."

"Oh, well that's great Sam!"

He smiled weakly, glancing over at Emily who was doing the dishes.

"Is there something that you need me to do?" I asked cautiously, noticing how tense the two of them were. What, did they want my help?

"Yeah, well that got me thinking about my priorities. It's bad enough that I barely am able to see my wife and child now and if Emily has another baby…well I just don't think I'll…I'll be able to do this." He said, hesitantly looking my way. I still wasn't understanding.

"Able to do what?" I asked.

He took another deep breath. "To be the pack's Alpha Jake."

It suddenly hit me where he was going, but I didn't want to believe it.

"I'm resigning as leader of the pack. I can't be in charge of everyone anymore; it's too much right now. I need to spend time with my family. They are my number one priority at this point Jacob. I hope you can understand."

Sure I understood but I couldn't wrap my head around it. Sam wasn't going to be the Alpha anymore…it just didn't seem right. I stared down at the ground, knowing why he had called me of all people here. Now understanding their extreme hospitality and weird behavior. He wanted me to take his place. He wasn't coming right out and saying it though, he kept staring nervously over at Emily who had stopped washing the dishes and had come over to join Sam on the couch. She held his hand and looked at me, her face desperate and uneasy.

"You want me to be the pack's Alpha." It wasn't a question. It was clear that was the reason. Both of them remained silent and then Sam nodded.

"You're the only one with some experience in it."

"Sam that was Leah and Seth. Two people. I can't run ten…"

"Yes you can Jacob. You and I both know well that you would make a great leader. You are the rightful Alpha anyway…"

"But I gave that up to you. It's your job."

"Yes and I'm retiring. I can't stay this age forever Jacob. I want to grow old with Emily. She's already four years older than me…and if she has another child I want to be able to be there for him or her, along with Harry. Please understand."

"I understand Sam. I get it. I just…I don't think I can do it."

Emily closed her eyes and I hated making her looked so upset. I didn't want to do this to her, or Sam. But nor was I ready to lead a pack of wolves. Especially when I want to be with Nessie and now all this drama with Danielle.

"Can't someone else do it?" I asked, trying to be hopeful but I knew the answer.

"Paul would be next in line but I think you'd agree that he in a leadership position would not be best for the pack. Besides Paul is trying to start a family with your sister…" I tried to ignore that. Ugh why was this happening to me!

"What about me and Nessie? I'm dealing with a lot right now and she needs me…"

"She doesn't age though Jacob. She won't grow old so being the pack leader is perfect. You'll stay the same age with her…" Emily said, trying her very hardest to convince me.

"So what Sam you're just not going to phase anymore. You're not going to help us find Danielle or be around your brothers…"

"It's not like that Jacob. I'll still be around everyone just in human form. I can't be a wolf forever. I need to do this. For not only me but my family too." He squeezed Emily's hand and I felt myself giving in. I didn't want this. I specifically said no to being Alpha for a reason. But looking at Emily's face how could I possibly say no? I needed to think things over. Nessie needed to be told about this, it would affect her too.

"Can I have some time to think about it?"

"Of course, take as much time as you need." Emily said, cheering up a bit that I was at least considering it.

"I'm still going to help find this Danielle girl; I'm still committed to protecting this town. There's no rush, I just wanted to give you a heads up." Sam said, clearly in a better mood too.

I nodded.

"Does the rest of the pack know?"

"No, they have no idea. And I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't think about it while you're in wolf form. I don't want to cause a commotion just yet. Until I have definite replacement." He smiled at me and I sighed knowing that I really didn't have much of a choice.

I thanked Emily for dinner and left, leaving them looking hopeful. Maybe it was obvious on my face that I was going to give in or something. Regardless I still had to tell Nessie and find out what she thought. If she truly wasn't okay with it then I couldn't say yes. Slowly I made my way over to the Cullen's, thinking of different ways on how to tell her. This should interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

Nessie

I wasn't sure what had come over me but when Jacob and I were against that tree and he was kissing me, it was as if hundreds of sparks were running through my body. I've never felt the sensations I just experienced and to be honest I wanted them back. But of course I had to let my nerves get the best of me and open my big mouth. It wasn't like I expected to go all the way with him right at that moment, but I had hoped we would be able to go some place more comfortable, perhaps my bed…

I've never felt this way before. Even when Jacob and I first kissed, there was a spark but it wasn't nearly as strong as earlier today. Perhaps it's because my love for Jacob has grown so much in the past few days. We've been through a lot together already and I felt closer to him than ever. Why am I even trying to deny the intense attraction I've been feeling for him lately? I need to face the truth, which is that I want him, badly. My hormones are clearly taking control of me. Ugh, if my father could read my mind he would throw a fit! I'd never be alone with Jake again that's for sure.

It really sucks having a dad who can read minds; everything is just so awkward. Such as at lunch today, I was stuck sitting with my family since I really had no one else, and anytime that my thoughts drifted to Jake I had to pull myself back before my father could notice. However, I slipped in the beginning, forgetting all about his gift as I imagined me and Jake by the river, laying down and kissing…a lot. It took my dad clearing his throat three times before I realized that he was being bombarded with images a father never wants to see about his daughter and he was definitely not happy about it.

Don't get me wrong, he could react _way_ worse to this whole situation. I'm surprised he hasn't resorted to more drastic measures to make sure we are never alone together. Both he and my mother have been pretty lenient with me and Jake's freedom to go out by ourselves. I guess it's because they see how happy he makes me and trusts us enough to make the right decisions. Besides it would be pointless, we'd find a way to see each regardless.

As I rested my head against my pillow, it came to me that this was one of few opportunities to think about Jacob without my father hearing. I was almost positive I was alone; my parents were most likely still at the house with the others. I needed to do something to pass time until Jacob returned…

I closed my eyes and instantly thoughts filled my head revolving around Jake and me lying on a beach together. He was brushing my hair back and I had my arms wrapped around his broad shoulders. We sat there gazing into each other's eyes and then he kissed me passionately. I could almost taste his lips on mine as I pulled him on top of me. I managed to get his shirt off, which really isn't much of achievement since he usually has it off anyway, but then I began unbuttoning _my_ shirt. Seeing that I control my thoughts I decided to make the Jacob in my head less of a pessimist and more of an eager, hormone driven teenager, like myself. So he had no problem with me taking off my shirt, actually, even better he _helped_ me. I clung to him tightly, practically feeling his body on top of mine. He kissed down my neck but I didn't want him to stop there…so he didn't. He lips continued down my throat, to my collarbone, and then…

I was interrupted suddenly from a knock on the door and of course just when things were starting to get interesting. Then my heart sank as I realized it was probably Jacob, which is much better than my imagination. I fixed my hair and snuck a peak in the mirror making sure I didn't look too tired.

"Come in." I said, leaning back on my bed.

Sadly the person to walk through the door was not Jacob. It was my mother. Great. She walked in smiling, most likely having no idea that I was expecting Jacob.

"Hi sweetie, where's Jake?" She asked as she scoped out the room, obviously expecting him to be hiding somewhere.

"He went home, he was tired." I lied.

"Oh, well sure he had a long day at the hospital. Are you going to visit Tara after school tomorrow?" She asked as she took a seat at the edge of my bed.

"Yeah I was planning on it. I feel awful."

"Sweetheart don't. It's not your fault in the least." She looked upset to see me blaming myself and I didn't want her to feel bad too. She leaned over and hugged me tightly, rubbing my back.

"Everything will be fine. We're going to keep looking for Danielle and this whole mess will be solved." I wanted to believe her, but I knew she was just saying that. She didn't know Danielle's fate anymore than I did.

She eventually let go and kissed my forehead, about to leave, when suddenly an idea hit me. A way to solve the problem of my father always reading my thoughts…

"Wait mom, can I talk to you about something?"

She stopped and seemed surprised but sat back on the bed.

"Sure honey what is it?"

"I want to ask you for a favor."

She eyed me suspiciously and I knew this would take a bit of convincing.

"Well, you see I've been thinking…since I have a boyfriend now, I really get uncomfortable having dad always being able to read my thoughts. It would be nice to think about Jacob and not have to worry about dad hearing it. It's embarrassing."

Her eyebrows were pulled together in confusion; obviously she didn't catch what I was asking for.

"So do you think that you could…you know put up a shield to block my thoughts from him…when we are around each other?" She continued to stare at me, still appearing confused. After ten long seconds she took a deep breath.

"You want me to put a shield around your mind every time you and your father are near one another?"

"Yes." I said with fervor. I wasn't sure if it would work but she needed to see that I was serious about this.

"Nessie…that takes a lot of energy and I don't think…"

"Mom _please_! It's just so, so, so awkward for me. I'm sure dad doesn't like it either! He probably would be grateful for this; I mean he doesn't want to hear my thoughts."

She contemplated this for a while; I honestly didn't know my chances of her giving in. I mean it _does_ take a lot out of her when she uses her gift…

"Alright I'll see what I can do." My eyes widened for a second in pure shock but then I hugged her tightly, sighing in relief.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"But Nessie if your father at any time feels like…"

"Okay, I know I got it. I promise that's fine."

She continued to sit on the bed, clearly having something else on her mind.

"Mom?"

She looked up at me and smiled slightly. Then she scooted herself more on the bed and grabbed my hand.

"Renesmee, I remember what it was like being a teenager, I well, I sort of am still one…but I could never forget how I felt with your father when we first fell in love." I wasn't sure where she was going with this but it sounded like the start of a concerned parent speech. Great.

"You and Jacob are getting really serious and I… I think it's a good time to have… the talk."

Now I was the one staring at her in confusion. The talk? What was she….oh no.

"Oh please,_ please_, no mom! Seriously I've seen enough movies and read enough books to know…"

"Sweetie it's more than that…"

"No mom it's really not. Emmett let's me watch rated R movies with him all the time, trust me I know everything I need to." Ugh this was beyond embarrassing!

"I understand that you know how things work. I'm not going to go into that explanation. But Nessie I just…I need you to be careful. You're still so young, there is no need to rush anything…"

"Rush things? Mom you are such a hypocrite! You got married at what 18? Of all people…"

"Yes but that was under completely differently circumstances! I _had_ to get married…"

"Why?"

"Because…because I was running out of time…"

"Time for what?"

She sat there frustrated, trying to find the right words. I didn't mean to pry but she wasn't making sense. After a few seconds she took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Renesmee I love your father so much and at that time with me being human…I was in a rush to become immortal. It wasn't the most thought out choice but it was what I wanted then. I don't regret it either. All I'm saying is that you are going to be young forever. Every woman's dream. Just don't move too fast okay?"

I nodded, understanding now what she was saying but at the same time wishing she would just let me decide for myself how quickly I want to move with Jacob. She sat there smiling at me and then shook her head as if contemplating something.

"I hadn't realized how strong you and Jacob's relationship had become."

"I love him a lot."

"I know you do. You…you two haven't…"

"No mom we haven't." I sat their mortified, wanting her to leave so badly, I could feel my face burning up.

She then looked up at me and chuckled. What was so funny?

"Why are you laughing? Is my embarrassment funny to you?" I asked her, not really serious but very curious as to what could possibly be amusing right now.

She shook her head and then stroked my cheek.

"You remind me so much of myself. You're blushing. I did that all the time when I was embarrassed. I even remember having this talk with my mother." She continued to smile at me and I relaxed a bit. Maybe she was done with the bad part. I tried to keep the subject at bay.

"Is your mom still alive?"

"Yes, I check up with her every once and a while, but only through a phone call of course."

"Do you miss her?"

"Very much." I could tell I hit a sore topic because her face fell and her eyes glistened. She'd probably be crying now if she could. I gave her a hug, feeling bad for bringing it up.

"Sorry." I whispered in her shoulder.

"Don't be sweetie. I knew the consequences of my choice trust me." I had never really gotten the whole story about what happened with my mom. I knew that while she was giving birth to me, it nearly killed her and that my father had to bite her in order to save her life. I have a brief flicker of a memory of my mother before she was a vampire. She looked ragged and tired and in a lot of pain. I try to never bring that picture up but sometimes it comes back.

She let go of me, smiling weakly and then said goodnight, shutting the door behind her. I laid back down on my pillow, closing my eyes and bringing back old memories to my head. It would be a good way to pass time again; I still couldn't believe Jacob was out this late…he told me he wouldn't be long.

As I brought back memories of my childhood, with it came those that included Jacob, which were actually the majority of them. Memories from when he and I would play Barbie's; I laughed out loud as I remembered the times he would pretend to be Ken and would deepen his voice to disguise himself. He also let me dress him up as a princess a couple times with makeup and everything. I couldn't believe he did all those things just for me. But I guess that's the power of imprinting. It's strange to me now that the Jacob from when I was a child is the same one that I now think about in a completely different way. They are practically two different people. As close to my heart as my friend Jacob will always be, my boyfriend is all I can picture him as now. It's a completely different love…

Suddenly my whole body jolted and my heart sped up as there was a soft tap on my window. Racing over, I opened it but to my confusion there was nobody there. That was strange, I swore I heard something. Lying back down I closed my eyes again and brought back the memories…

Another three knocks. This time I knew I wasn't imagining things. I stood up and opened the window once again. My heart began to speed up as I was greeted once again with no one. I leaned my head out the window this time, trying to see in the darkness. There was nothing there. This was really annoying.

"Jake? Jake this isn't funny." I whispered but there was no answer. I was getting a little freaked out. What the heck was making that knocking noise…

"Nessie." I stiffened. Someone had just said my name but it definitely wasn't Jacob.

"Nessie help." I stood frozen in place, scanning the darkness for someone, it was unquestionably coming from outside…somewhere in the distance but I couldn't see anyone.

"Hello?" I whispered.

"Who's there?" I asked but silence followed.

"Nessie!" I jumped up as my name was shouted this time and it was coming from the woods. Slowly I climbed out the window, wearing only a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top, luckily I'm cold blooded. I probably shouldn't be wondering out in the woods by myself but I couldn't help but be curious as to who was yelling my name. It was a girl's voice, and it was familiar. My gut was telling me what I hoped was true, that it was Danielle. That she had returned and that she was okay.

I had reached the woods and was wishing that the voice would speak again so that I would know where she was.

"Hello? Who's there?" I asked.

"Nessie please." It was coming from straight ahead so I continued walking forward.

"Danielle? Is that you? Are you okay?" But she didn't reply. By then I had reached a small clearing. I didn't want to go any farther and I was pretty sure this was where the voice had come from. I looked around me, using the small amount of light from the moon that got through the trees.

"Danielle? Where are you?"

Suddenly I heard rustling coming from behind me so spun around but nothing was there. I moved towards the direction but then another rustling came from the opposite side. This was really confusing.

"Stop moving around." I told whoever it was.

Silence. I was really getting freaked out now.

"Do…do you need my help?" I asked warily. Nothing.

Then all of a sudden I felt chills race up and down my spine. I shivered, which is very rare for me to do. I was about to walk forward but as I listened closely I suddenly heard short gasps of breath. Slowly I turned around and what I saw nearly paralyzed me with shock. Danielle was standing in front of me, tears streaming down her face and blood everywhere. Her usually sleek blond hair was now mangled up and her eyes red. She was sobbing, her whole body trembling; I didn't know what to do.

"Oh my gosh…Danielle!"

I finally got my legs to move and went up to her slowly, grabbing her blood stained arms and trying to get her to relax.

"Danielle, listen to me everything is going to be…okay…" She abruptly stopped crying and just stared at me, almost as if she was angry at me. Like she was about to attack… I let go of her and stepped back slowly. Something about her expression warned me that she was not safe to be around.

"Dan…Danielle…I'm going to get you some help okay?" I continued to back up, afraid to turn around. She was still staring at me with those red eyes. I was terrified. What had happened to her? While I was backing away, I tripped on a log and fell to the ground. That's when she started to move towards me. I couldn't take my eyes off her face as she slowly approached me but I tried hard to get myself back up. Then out of nowhere she was directly above me, staring me down.

"Danielle…please…"

Suddenly she grabbed my throat and before I knew what had happened I saw myself soaring quickly through the air and into a tree. But strangely enough I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel her hands around my throat or the impact of the tree…it didn't make sense. I quickly got up and started running as fast as I could but it felt like I was trudging through water. Looking behind me I gasped, she was right there, as if she appeared out of thin air.

"No…Danielle…I'm so sorry please." It took her merely two seconds and she was on top of me, pinning my body to the ground and her teeth digging into my skin…she was a vampire… Before I had time to register what was happening I was back in my bedroom with someone shaking me. I let my eyes adjust to the darkness and then I realized it was Jacob. I nearly screamed with relief.

"Nessie! Are you okay?" He asked me but I couldn't answer. I just threw myself into his arms, trying to catch my breath. It was just a dream…or better put a nightmare. I couldn't believe this was happening again. Just when I thought I was through with these nightmares, they had come back. I clung onto Jake's shirt tightly as he whispered in my ear that everything was going to alright. Then something came to me.

"Wait, how…how did you get in here?"

"The window, it was wide open. I figured you left it that way so that I could get in." My heart sunk. The window was open….I definitely didn't leave it open. I tried to get myself to relax and think logically. I could have slept walked; yeah that was probably it…

Jacob looked concerned but I didn't want to worry him. He didn't need to know about the nightmare or the window or anything else that was running through my paranoid mind. Right then I didn't want to think about what I saw or take it as a sign to mean that Danielle was now a vampire, it didn't matter. I just needed to be with Jake.

"Oh yeah I forgot I did." He seemed to believe me.

"What was the dream about?" He asked.

"I don't remember…" I lied. I felt bad for doing so but it wasn't anything he needed to know.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, stroking his finger down my cheek. I nodded.

"Yes. Everything is perfect now that you're here." I gazed into his eyes, the nightmares now pushed to the back of my mind. He laughed softly and then kissed me tenderly.

As romantic as it was when he kissed me softly and took his time, I couldn't contain myself much longer. He was being gentle and I needed him to be passionate right now. I wanted to completely forget my fears and just be with him. As he held my face in his one hand and placed the other on my shoulder, I decided to take initiative.

I deepened our kiss, keeping it slow but making it more passionate. I began to lean back, laying myself across the bed while tugging at his t-shirt and pulling him down with me. He was taken my surprise, it was clear, but he didn't stop. Slowly he was starting to get the hint and moved his one hand to my waist and the other to my hair. Our lips moved together as I tried to get him as close to me as possible. Then I heard a strange noise and I realized it came from his mouth, a sort of moan and my heart skipped a couple beats.

He was running out of air, I could tell by how quickly he was breathing, so I gently pushed his mouth away. He kept his lips centimeters from mine and we just stared at one another. His eyes were bright and focused, while I'm sure I looked somewhat similar. After about thirty seconds he leaned back down and recaptured my lips in his. I then reached for the bottom of his shirt and began to lift it. He allowed me to do that, smiling weakly and then he began to kiss my neck. I ran my hands up and down his warm, hard, body and couldn't find myself wanting to stop.

"Jacob." I whispered but then I regretted it. Why do I always have to speak? Last time it ruined it, but thankfully he took it as a way of communicating not to stop, which was right on point.

As he continued to kiss my throat I decided to be brave and pull down the straps of my tank top; hoping that I'd be able to get it fully off. I got it down to right below my chest when Jacob suddenly yanked it back up. I froze and stared at him, taken aback. He stared wide-eyed right back at me. I sat myself up on my elbows and reached out to touch his face.

"Jake…what's wrong?"

He sat there, kneeling on the bed appearing worried.

"Jake?"

"We should stop." He said, smiling slightly and then nodding. I saw him reach for his shirt but I got there before him and grabbed it. He looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"No. I don't want to stop." I shook my head. He then sighed, moving closer to me. I thought he was about to give in but he suddenly stole his shirt right back and slipped it on. Why was he doing this?

"Jake I don't understand…"

He placed his one hand on my face and looked into my eyes.

"Nessie. We can't…we just can't."

"Why not?" I spoke softly. My chest began to tighten and I couldn't understand what I was feeling. It was nothing like the good sensation I got when Jacob kissed me. No, I was angry, and sad, and embarrassed, all at once. I shook my face out of his hand and stared at the floor.

"Nessie…Nessie look at me please." I didn't want to. It was then that I realize I was ashamed and humiliated. I felt ridiculous and all I wanted to do was flee from the room, from this house…

"Nessie trust me I want to be with you. In every way imaginable but not right now. Not so soon. We have our whole lives to be together honey."

He was recited my mother's words right to me. I felt tears begin to fall but I didn't want them to. I didn't want to look weak in front of him, but it was too late. He saw and suddenly his arms were wrapped around me tightly as he brushed his fingers through my hair.

"I'm sorry Nessie. Don't cry please. I love you so much you have to know that." I believed him. And somewhere deep inside me I knew he was right. But right then I didn't want to listen; I was tired of being told that I was too young and that I had my whole life to do this. I didn't want to wait.

"Jacob can you just go please."

It was silent and I felt terrible for asking him to leave, but I just had to be by myself. I still felt too ashamed to even have him look at me.

"Nessie…"

"Please Jake. I need to be by myself right now." After a few seconds I felt him let go and heard him climb out the window and shut it. I stared at the wall feeling embarrassed that I had tried to take my top of when he clearly wasn't planning on doing anything serious. And I felt angry that he wanted to wait, regardless of that fact that he was right. And worst of all I felt sick to my stomach as the nightmare began to reappear in my mind and I had no choice but to face it, all on my own.


	4. Chapter 4

Nessie

I hadn't spoken to Jake this morning. For some reason I just couldn't allow myself to get over the previous night. He was being the responsible one, I knew that. The more I thought about it the more I realized it was about the humiliation I felt; there was no anger. But I wasn't ready to face him.

I wanted to get the school day over with so that I could go visit Tara and direct my attention to the more serious issue which was finding Danielle. If she was willing to open up to Jacob, a complete stranger, then I was sure it would be very easy to get her to open up for me as well. Perhaps she would even remember more today then she did yesterday.

The past few days at school have been a blur. People have constantly been coming up to me asking about Brianna, Tara, Danielle, and occasionally Corey. It had been decided ahead of time by my family that any of those questions should be answered with a simple, "I hear Tara's getting better but no word yet from the others." It was reported to the staff that all four had gone missing and that Tara was the fortunate one who was found in the middle of the woods. Most assume there was foul play involved but no other details have been given. Now every student is being encouraged by the school to put up signs around town and support the police in finding the "missing" students.

It was strange knowing that Brianna and Corey were dead while watching everyone search frantically to find them. No one knows the truth about them, who they really are or what they have tried to do to me and my family. They are searching and will continue to search for people who do not even exist and I'm supposed to help.

After lunch I began walking to English with Emmett. As I looked behind me, expecting to see Alice trailing along I realized she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Where did Alice go? Isn't she coming to class?"

Emmett didn't seem too worried, "She's probably outside trying to get a clearer reading on Tara's future. If anyone is planning on attacking her then we know who to look for." That was true, I hadn't really thought of that. Though I couldn't imagine that it would be easy seeing her future since Alice hasn't really spent much time with her.

As I sat in English, time seemed to stand still. Only one more class and I was done for the day; this one seemed to be going the slowest. Even Emmett's constant and hilarious rebuttal with the teacher on his opinions regarding Shakespeare and his writing style, could not make time go faster.

After a half hour I looked over at Emmett whose head was down and I noticed a little light reflecting onto his face. He was texting someone, which would be completely normal behavior for any other student, but Emmett texting...this is rare. I began to feel uneasy; he would only text someone in my family and there is never any reason to unless something is wrong. I tried to grab his attention but his eyes wouldn't leave the tiny screen.

"Emmett...Emmett what's wrong?" I whispered but still no answer. I was getting frustrated so I took my pen and lightly threw it at him, hitting his shoulder.

That didn't work.

So I tried again but with a highlighter and threw it with more force. It hit his arm this time and although most of the student's in the surrounding area had turned their focus at me, he still didn't look my way. He just continued to type at super speed on the keypad. By now I was ready to scream his name. Most of the class was now watching my pathetic attempts in getting his attention and failing, it really wouldn't have made a difference. I thought I'd try one more time before I went over to him and grabbed the phone from his hand. This time I picked up the apple I never ate at lunch and had stowed away in my backpack.

The looks on the student's faces as they slowly realized what I was about to do were priceless but I couldn't worry about what they thought. I was desperate for some answers. Aiming right at his head I anchored back my arm and literally chucked it with super force. It flew at incredible speed and knocked him right at his temple, causing most of the apple to explode all over him. Finally this got his attention but I unfortunately it got the teacher's as well.

"Mr. Cullen what is going on and why are you covered in apple chunks right now?"

Emmett's face was a mix between shock and confusion as he searched for words to explain. This was the first time I had ever seen him speechless and honestly so was I. Although I had wanted to put a great amount of force into that throw, I had in no way thought it would cause the apple to splatter all over him. I felt my face begin to blush as I looked around me. All eyes were focused on either Emmett or myself. However, he didn't glance at me once, his eyes met the teacher's and being Emmett he spat out, "I had a craving applesauce."

The room filled with quiet giggles and although everyone knew the truth, no one spoke up which was a huge relief. Emmett shrugged but the teacher had enough of him for the day so he was asked to leave the room. I wanted to thank him for not ratting me out, even though I knew he never would, but I never had that chance. He grabbed his things and rushed quickly out of the room. It was obvious that he was all too relieved to get away and find whoever he had been texting.

The remaining 15 minutes were spent catching people's glances towards me and their quick head- turns back to their notebooks when I stared right back. Not that this was the first time I have been assaulted with other student's wide eyes of bafflement and awe, for one reason or another, but it was nonetheless annoying. It made me self-conscious and I only hope that they don't make too big a deal about what just happened. I'm sure they have never seen someone, especially of my stature, pitch an apple at someone's head causing it to explode. If Rosalie had been here she would have torn my head off. Hopefully Emmett will keep his mouth shut.

At last the bell rang and I quickly threw my notebook into my bag and ran out the door. I had to find Emmett before I headed over to the gymnasium. However, before I could even begin my search I felt my body knock into a firmly built chest. It took me a second to realize that I had run right into a police officer standing outside of the classroom. Behind him stood two more officers, one male and one female. The man I ran into gently clutched onto my arms, steadying me as I caught my balance. He was a tall man, blonde hair, probably around mid-thirties. His name plate said Officer Kendle.

"I am so sorry! I'm in a bit of a rush. I didn't even see you there..." I said quickly as I tried to move around him. Despite my efforts, his hands remained gripped onto my arms as he tried to stop me. If I had been completely human he would have had no trouble preventing me from moving, but seeing that I was not the average girl, he spun with me as I attempted to loosen myself from his grip.

"Are you Renesmee Cullen?" He asked me as I continued to try and back away. It hit me then, they were waiting for me. I couldn't believe this was happening; the last thing I wanted to do was talk to the police.

"Yes. Can I help you?"

Now that he knew he had my attention he let my arms go as the other two officers moved a little forward. Did they really see me as a threat?

"We are checking up on the case of the four student's that went missing a few days ago. You were acquainted with them is that correct?"

"I was and now only three are missing. Tara is in the hospital now."

"Yes we already went to speak with her." I prayed that she did not say anything that would get us in trouble. There was no way she could remember anything. Right?

"Oh I see. I was going to visit her today after..."

"We would like to ask some questions if you don't mind." I really didn't have a choice.

"Okay sure." He began to ask a question but my attention was not focused towards him. My family had to know what was happening right now. They had to be aware that I was being detained by police officers. I searched the slowly clearing hallways for a familiar face but I couldn't find one. I started to panic.

"Miss Cullen how long have you known Tara, Brianna, Danielle, and Corey?"

"I just moved here recently. They were my first friends here. It was a few months I suppose."

"When was the last time you saw any of them?"

"It was three days ago at lunch. Since then I haven't heard anything from them. I got the call about Tara yesterday."

"Did they mention any plans to come over your house at any point and spend the night?"

What was he talking about?

"Um...no not at all. Why do you ask?"

"We spoke to both Tara and Danielle's mothers and they said the night they went missing they had said they were heading over to your house to spend the night. So they never wound up coming over?"

Oh no. This wasn't good. I could feel my hands started to shake a little. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say. Should I deny that we ever had plans or should I just claim they never showed up? And what about Corey's family? Brianna obviously doesn't have any family, which is likely to draw some suspicion. What will the police do then?

"I um...I don't...I don't really know...they never..." As always, at the perfect moment I was saved.

"Good afternoon officers how are you doing today?" The light bubbly voice of Alice immediately sent relief pouring through my body. It was clear they were not sure how to react.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Alice Cullen, Renesmee's sister and this is my boyfriend Jasper." I hadn't even noticed him on the other side. The quick sweep and calmness now made sense.

"Renesmee and the other girl's had plans that night to have a sleepover but she wound up getting sick so they had to cancel. We don't know where the rest of them ended up going that night but I wanted to assure you we are doing everything we can to help find them." Alice said it so sweetly and yet so perfectly emphasized the seriousness that the officers remained speechless for several seconds. Finally the female officer stepped forward.

"I see. You said your name is Alice Cullen? And your boyfriend's name..."

"Jasper. Jasper Hale."

"Okay well we appreciate your help Alice and yours as well...Jasper." She glanced over her right shoulder at Jasper who remained silent and smiling quite awkwardly at her. "But we would like to finish questioning Renesmee if you don't mind."

"Don't you think there is a better suited time for doing that? She's running late for class." Jasper said cooly. The male officer who hasn't spoken yet was about to interject but Alice quickly handed him a piece of paper with our address on it.

"That's our address. You are welcome to stop by later today and continue with the questioning but right now we really should be going. Have a good day officers!" Alice began dragging me away leaving the three stunned police officers to do nothing but stand there mum.

Once we turned the corner I grabbed both of them into a hug and thanked them for coming in time.

"Sorry I couldn't get there sooner I was checking out for Tara." Alice said as I let her go.

"Is she going to be okay? I saw Emmett texting in class I got really worried!"

"Yes she's going to be just fine. And Emmett was just texting Rosalie. There's nothing to worry about." For some reason I didn't believe. There was something they weren't telling me I could feel it.

"You promise?"

It took a second for Alice to answer but she nodded and then shrugged, "Of course. I promise!"

I didn't want to start anything right there and we had to get to class. But I was planning on confronting Emmett about it later.

Right as the bell rang I sprinted out of school and went straight to Forks hospital. I used the woods so that I could move quickly without drawing attention. My family would have dropped me off but I was in the mood for running. I needed to let go of my stress.

When I reached the hospital there were several people in the waiting room. I approached the receptionist and asked to Tara Thompson. She called one of the nurses on that floor to check to see if she was awake and up for visitors.

"She's sleeping right now. You can have a seat and wait if you'd like." I nodded and took a seat in one of the very hard and uncomfortable chairs. I hoped she wouldn't be sleeping for too much longer but it wasn't like I had much to do today. As I checked my phone for messages, I secretly was hoping one was from Jacob. But my inbox only consisted of calls from Alice and my mother. To be honest it stung to see that Jake hadn't texted or called me at all, I thought he would at least check to see if everything's okay. But I didn't want to think about him right now. My thoughts should be on Tara and what I am going to say when I see her.

As I contemplated this I noticed out of the corner of my eye the person next to me was looking in my direction. I slowly turned my head towards him, ready to see his head turn quickly away. But he continued to stare even when our eyes met. He looked at me in awe and then as if he suddenly realized what an awkward encounter this was, he finally jolted his focus straight ahead.

Now it was my turn. I looked him over, analyzing his hair, his clothes, and the pack of ice that he was holding against his bloodied up and slightly crooked nose. Good thing I had control over my thirst or this would be a serious problem.

He was tall, not as tall as Jake obviously, and much more dangly looking, but he gave off the impression of what high school kids would deem nerdy. When he was staring at me I couldn't help but notice what a pretty color blue his eyes were even as they were masked by a pair of darkly rimmed glasses. His hair was light brown and stuck up on his head in several directions which suggested that, along with the nose, he had just got into some kind of physical altercation. My gut was telling me he lost too.

He wasn't a bad looking guy, but from one I've seen in the hundreds of teen high school movies and shows, his aura screamed that his intelligence far exceeded his popularity. I felt sort of bad for him as he continued to look ahead of him, every now and then glancing at me staring at him. I smiled and decided it couldn't hurt to have someone to talk to as I waited for Tara to wake up.

I scooted forward so that I was on the edge of the seat moving closer to facing him. "Hey." I said and his face turned instantly pink as he slowly turned, probably to see if he was just hearing things. I sat there smiling at him, eyebrows raised, waiting for his reply.

"Hi." He said, his voice quiet but deep.

"I'm Renesmee. Everyone calls me Nessie though." I held out my hand. It took him a couple seconds to grab it but when he did his face jolted a bit as he noticed the abnormal temperature of my skin. After a few seconds of staring at our clasped hands he looked up at me and smiled.

"Um I'm Louis. It's nice to meet you Nessie. So what...what brings you here?"

"I'm visiting my friend. She's sleeping right now so I'm waiting for her to wake up. I'm assuming your broken nose is what brought you here." He chuckled quietly and nodded his head. Then he sat up straighter and began speaking it a much stronger tone.

"Yeah some guys were picking on this Freshman so I stepped in and got hit. But you should see their faces. I got them pretty good." I smiled, not sure if he was telling the truth or not.

"Wow. Really?" He stayed silent for a while and then his face fell a bit.

"No not really. They were picking on me actually. Not really sure why. They are your typical jocks you know? Like to put people down to make themselves feel better." Now I really felt sorry. I laid my hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. But think of it this way, later on in life they will be getting you coffee and cleaning toilets. High School doesn't last forever." He smiled back at me.

"I hope your right...how old are you anyway? You don't go to Forks High School that's for sure. I definitely would have remembered seeing you."

"I'm 17. I go to school a couple towns over. Westcreek High School."

"Oh okay. I'll be 18 in a month. I can't wait to get out of this town." I could sympathize with him. I knew what it was like to want to escape sometimes. The pain of feeling like an outsider was all too familiar.

"Do you know where you want to go to college?"

"Not really sure. My family isn't exactly financially stable right now. I'm hoping to get a scholarship somewhere like Brown or Dartmouth. But who knows."

"I'm sure you will. Everything will work out. It's those low-lives that beat you up who will be stuck here in Forks forever."

"Yeah..." He looked upset about something so I wanted to change the subject.

"So what do you and your friends do for fun around here?"

"Play video games usually. I know I'm the stereotypical high school nerd." He laughed to himself.

"No not at all."

"How about you?"

"I spend a lot of time with my family. We go on hunting trips a lot." He looked shocked.

"Really? I would have never pegged you as an outdoor kind of girl."

"Yeah well I'm full of surprises." Not really sure I liked where this conversation was heading. He took a deep breath.

"Well that's great...you know we should go on a trip together some time. I'd like to see what hunting is like. Try something different." He had a big grin on his face now. He looked so nervous for my reaction and honestly I wasn't sure what to say. Obviously he could never come hunting with me. But I didn't want to hurt his feelings, nor did I want to lead him on.

"Yeah maybe."

"Can I...can I get your number? Just in case you ever just want to hang out sometime?" Ugh now I felt horrible.

"Um...well actually Louis I...I have a boyfriend. Not that I wouldn't love to hang out but I don't think he would be okay with that, even if it was just as friends. I'm sorry." That definitely wounded his brief surge of confidence.

"Oh it's okay. I get it." I wanted to explain to him that I really did want to be friends with him but then the receptionist announced that Tara was awake. I said goodbye to Louis, feeling terrible, and walked down the hall, now dealing with the other problem which was what am I going to say to Tara?

I quietly opened the door and peered my head in. She looked much better compared to when I had last seen her, her hair was brushed and all the blood was gone. Smiling, I made my way across the room and sat to the right of her.

"Hey Tara. How are you feeling?" Instead of answering me, she continued to stare at me, looking me up and down in the strangest way. Finally she snapped out of whatever trance she was in.

"Hello Nessie. I'm okay I guess. Much better than before."

"That's so good to hear! I heard Jake stopped by yesterday. I'm sorry I couldn't make it, I got caught up with something."

"Yeah Jacob is very nice...I didn't realize you had a boyfriend." Now I realized what the problem was. She was clearly a little hurt that I never mentioned him. All along I had shown interest in Corey so Jake must seem like he is out of the blue.

"Oh. Yeah about that..."

"It's okay. You don't owe me an explanation. He's really cute."

"Yeah he's a great guy. I'm glad you two got along okay."

"Why did you send him?"

"Well I wanted to make sure you were okay. Since I couldn't make it I figured he would be good company, he's honestly very committed on finding out who did this to you. And so am I. If you could just remember a little more about that night..."

"I told Jacob everything I remember I'm sorry. If you don't mind I'd like to got to sleep."

"Oh. I thought you just woke up from a nap?"

"I did. But I'm feeling tired again. So if you don't mind..." I wasn't sure how to react to this. Here I thought I'd be spending at least an hour with her to keep her company and talk about what happened. Why wouldn't she want to tell me everything? And why was she acting so strangely?

"Sure...I'll just go. Feel better."

"Oh and Nessie." She said as I reached the door, "Tell Jake I said hello."

"Um okay sure."

That definitely did not go as I expected. I walked slowly down the hall trying to figure out if I did something wrong and why on earth she was being so short with me. Glancing up I spotted I woman heading towards me wearing tight fitted jeans an expensive looking jacket and decked out in lavish jewelry. It took me a second to realize where I had recognized her from. When I was at Tara's house party, one of the few moments I remember of that night was seeing this woman's picture around the house, framed upon the walls and on glass tables.

"Mrs. Thompson?" I asked, not quite sure if it was really her.

"Yes?"

"Hi I'm Nessie, Tara's friend. I was the one who found her in the woods." She went from appearing uninterested in what I was saying to pulling me into her arms and swinging me back and forth.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you! You have no idea how much I owe you!"

"You don't owe me anything I just wanted to formally introduce myself. I was also wondering if Tara told you any details of what exactly happened to her."

"All she told me is that she was attacked by some animal and she doesn't remember much else. I can't believe this happened to my baby..." She began to tear up as she held her small hand to her mouth to repress dramatic sobs. Clearly talking to her wasn't going to get me anywhere.

"Well it was very sweet of you to visit her. With her best friend missing it's only been you, her boyfriend, and the police."

Her boyfriend...who was her boyfriend?

"Oh. I didn't even know she had a boyfriend."

"Neither did I until I met him yesterday. He's very handsome. A little rough around the edges for my taste but very good looking. His name was Jacob I believe. Nice boy."

I stood there frozen. What did she just say? Did she say Jacob...my Jacob was her boyfriend.

"Um...Jacob...he was Native American?"

"Yes! Oh you do know him! I'll tell you at first I didn't see the connection between them but the way she's been talking about him, ugh it's so sweet! To think my little girl falling in love. They are really adorable together!" Barely managing a smile, I nodded and waved goodbye. I had to get away. What the hell was going on? Why was Tara under the illusion that Jacob was her boyfriend? Is that the reason she was being so rude to me? And why wouldn't Jake tell me this?

I was so furious I raced down the hall and headed towards the exit, but not before I handed a piece of paper with my phone number on it to a boy sitting in the waiting room with a broken nose.


	5. Chapter 5

Jacob

I couldn't get it out of my head. Sam wanted me to be Alpha. He wanted me to lead a pack that continues to grow, the pack that he has run so perfectly thus far. The thought was causing me serious stress and to be honest it was one of the reasons I said no to Nessie last night. The other was because what I told her was completely true. We had our whole lives to be together. As much as I wanted to take our relationship to that level, I was too distracted to even contemplate doing it right then and there. And as cheesy as it sounds I want it to be special, especially for her. She might not realize it now but she will thank me for it later.

Besides, if I do choose to take on the role as leader of the pack, I need to get a firm grip on my priorities before anything too serious happens in my love life. Don't get me wrong, if I had to choose between being Alpha and being with Nessie, there is no deliberation needed, it would be absolutely be her. But the fact is that I would be able to have both, with the cost of a little less time spent with Nessie. Is that really so much to give up? I've been spoiled with the time we have spent together; when she is at school I am bored as hell. Would it be so wrong to want to do something for myself while she's not around?

She never prevented me from doing what I want. I have to be grateful for that. And if I could spend every second of my life with her I would, but that just isn't going to happen, at least not now. Emily was right. She will stay young potentially forever, so I'll need a guarantee that I will as well. Was I really considering doing this? Being the Alpha? Damn it.

I didn't want to mention anything to Nessie yet until I was sure. Her reaction will determine whether or not I can actually go through with it. Knowing how generous she is I could see her being very supportive of me stepping up to be a leader, especially if it is so Sam can spend more time with his family.

All of this was flying through my head as I lay down on the Cullen's couch, watching reruns of last night's game. I was anxious to see Nessie this morning before she went off to school. I knew I upset her badly last night and for that reason I haven't been able to sleep all night. But I stand by my decision. I think I may actually be maturing, Bella would be impressed, not that I would ever, ever mention this to her.

"Good morning Jacob. How did you sleep?" Bella asked as she walked through the back door and into the living room. If she was here that means Nessie shouldn't be too far behind.

"Not too well."

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing you have to worry yourself about Bella" Of course being Bella she was going to concern herself anyway. I should have just kept my big mouth shut. She shoved my feet off the couch and sat down next to me, her face looking extremely concerned over something so trivial as my sleep.

"Tell me about."

"I'd rather not actually. It's personal." She lightly slapped my leg.

"Oh come on Jake! We share everything you know that, now tell me what's bothering you?"

I stared at her for a few seconds, figuring out how to say it without going into too much detail that would lead her to tear my arms off.

"Nessie and I just got into a little argument."

"When?"

"Last night."

"When last night? I was with her right before she went to sleep. She seemed fine." Oh shit. I tried to think of a way to backtrack but she was on to me too quickly. I looked over at her face, which had quickly changed to one of admonition and disapproval.

"Jacob Black…"

"Relax Bella! I went to tuck her that's all!" This time she slapped my leg much harder. And she didn't stop there. She began to whack me on my arms and even hit my face pretty good. In between the hits she managed to get some of her anger out,

"I…can't…believe…you…did…that…Jacob…"

"Bella stop! Relax okay! I told you noting happened!" She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Jake I swear if I find out you are lying to me…"

"Lying to you about what?" My body froze. As much as I hate to admit it, Edward has become more of a threat to me now than before, ever since I have been officially dating Nessie. Damn it he probably heard that…I filled my head with a repeat of random sounds so that he wouldn't hear any glimpses of our conversation. But to my surprise he wasn't glaring at me he was glaring at Bella.

"Bella what are doing?" What was he talking about? I looked back and forth between the two of them, both staring at the other intensely.

"What are you hiding from me?" He said very quietly and in an almost despairing manner. Like he was really offended and also ticked off.

"Don't worry about it Edward." She got up and that's when I realized what the problem was. Bella was blocking my thoughts from Edward. She put up a shield. But why? I thought for sure she would be so ticked off at me that she would look to Edward to really teach me a lesson for sneaking into his daughter's room at night.

Bella walked out of the living room towards the kitchen, Edward not too far behind. I couldn't imagine that was going to be a pleasant conversation but I couldn't help but be curious as to what she was going to say. I walked as quietly as I could towards the kitchen and peeked my head around the corner. Suddenly I was face to face with Edward. Stupid vampire hearing. It was clear he wanted to keep his and Bella's conversation private.

"Alright alright. Damn." I walked back to couch and stretched myself across it, hoping to possibly get a little rest once I spoke to Nessie.

About 2 minutes later Nessie came strolling into the living room but before I could say anything to her she went straight to the foyer and out the door. I looked after her, stunned. Did she really just completely ignore me? She had to have seen me, I'm pretty hard to miss. I guess I underestimated how angry she really was at me for last night.

I was tempted to go after her but part of me knew that she was just like her mother and that she just needed some space. Hopefully by the time she gets home she will have forgiven me or at least want to talk it over. Still, it's the worst feeling in the world knowing that she's mad at me. And for something I did right for once.

Bella and Edward came out of the kitchen and walked right by me without looking in my direction. Directly after them came the rest of the clan, with Alice being the last one, skipping lightly down the stairs and saying a quick goodbye to me before she shut the door.

I needed to get out of here.

Too much of my time has been spent cooped up in this house. I needed to hunt. I needed to get away and really really think about this Alpha thing. Unfortunately if I did that it would mean that I couldn't phase into my wolf form since no one can know about my possible promotion. Looks like I'll be going the old natural way today.

I started out slow, really trying to enjoy my run and pace myself, but the more I thought about the stress of my situation, the faster I went and the more power I put into each stride. I was heading towards La Push, but deep within the areas that my brother's usually avoid because of the uneven ground and abundance of trees. I didn't mind, it was a challenge and I liked it. Plus I wasn't really in the mood to talk at the moment.

After about a half hour of running I decided to slow down and look for food. I was craving a fresh piece of deer meat. Quietly placing my feet on the ground with each step, I surveyed the area. It looked like a good place to start. However, before I even had a chance to sniff out any prey I heard a cracking from a small distance away. No chance that it was going to be this easy. Was I really that lucky to have stumbled upon a deer so soon?

Every inch forward I moved I had to be conscious of where I was stepping to avoid crunching down on a leaf or snapping a twig. Slowly I crept towards the noise, trying to figure out by the loudness of its motions if it really was a deer or something else completely. As I peered around a nearby tree I found myself facing not a deer but a wolf. Leah to be exact.

However, she didn't see me. She was facing in the other direction, head held high like she was scouting out something in the woods. I didn't want to startle her for fear that she would attack me not realizing who it was. So I stood behind the tree and watched her, waiting for her to let her guard down so that I could show myself.

The more I looked at her expression the less at ease I became. There was something about her face and her stance that made me think she was scared and feeling threatened. But by what? Leah is rarely ever scared. She began to move slowly away from me towards a more heavily wooded area. If I was going to reveal myself now was the time.

Stepping out from the tree I immediately made the mistake of not watching where I was stepping and my foot snapped a twig. Leah's body was instantly heading towards mine and in two seconds I was on the ground with her paws digging into my skin.

"Leah" I chocked out.

Her expression softened after a few seconds and backed off into the woods. I brushed myself off, inspecting the cuts that her nails made on my skin. Obviously not a big deal but still an avoidable attack.

I looked up and Leah was now in human form walking out of the woods with a pair of running shorts and a cut up t-shirt. She didn't look too pleased to see me.

"What the hell are you doing here Jacob?"

"I should ask you the same."

She eyed me up angrily and then sighed, "Sam has been sending everyone on trips to inspect the area for any signs of that missing girl. For some reason he feels the need to concern himself with her safety."

"He concerns himself with her safety because he's smart. He knows that whoever is behind her disappearance is a threat to everyone in this area. We need to find out who or what is responsible."

"Whatever."

"What did you see?" Her eyes lit up for a moment.

"Nothing."

"You're lying. What did you see Leah? I was watching you; you were tense so obviously something is out there that made you that way. What was it?"

"I told you it was nothing Jacob!" But I knew she wasn't telling me the truth. Her eyes were turning glassy; something really freaked her out. I moved towards her, preventing her from backing away from me. The more I looked at her the more I realized it wasn't only fear, it was grief as well.

"Leah…hey Leah look at me." I moved her head so that she was looking at me but she was still avoiding eye contact. She didn't want me to see her crying, for me to see her weak.

"Jake…I…I don't want…it's just the heat" Eventually I got her to look at me and my heart sank. Something was really wrong.

"Leah you can tell me. You can trust me."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." It took her a minute before she could speak

"I…I saw someone out here…"

"Who?" She shook her head.

"Leah who was it?"

"I know it's crazy but…Jake I swear I saw…I saw my father." I looked at her and for the first time I really saw her break down. She leaned into me and sobbed into my shoulder. I rubbed her back and tried to calm her down. I wasn't sure what to say. She saw Harry. Who has been dead for years now. I wanted to believe, her, hell I wish it were true. That he had somehow come back to life, or that he was never dead in the first place. But that's not how things work.

"It's going to be okay Leah."

"No. No it's not Jacob. Don't you get it? I saw my dead father in the words! Either I'm going crazy or he's actually alive."

She continued to cry for a little and then slowly she backed away.

"I know what I saw. You don't have to believe me but I have to go look. I have to find him!" She turned her back towards me and started to run off but I caught her before she got too far and spun her around.

"Stop! Leah stop! Listen to me!"

"No Jacob just let me go!"

"I'm not letting you go out here alone!"

"Then come with me…help me find…" Suddenly her eyes widened as she stared off over my shoulder. I felt my heart drop as I took in her stunned face and slowly turned around to see what she was looking at. I thought for sure it was going to be her father again. That she wasn't going crazy after all. But it wasn't him.

It was Danielle.

She was standing there, her blond hair straight and clean looking. Like she just got out of a shower. Her face wasn't bruised up either, as one would expect after being missing for a few days. But the most disturbing part of this wasn't her appearance, it was how she was standing there, staring at the two of us. Her expression was unreadable. She didn't look relieved to see us, nor did she look angry. She was just there.

I continued to hold onto Leah's arm as I took a step forward, curious to see if this would produce some kind of change in her expression. But it didn't. Taking a couple more steps forward…still no change. It was in all honesty freaking me out. It became clear that Leah felt uneasy as well since she clinged onto my one arm, ready to pull me away if Danielle made any sudden movements.

"Jake." Leah whispered, "Jake I think we should just go."

"Leah this is Danielle. You know the one we've been looking for. We can't just leave her out here."

I looked Danielle up and down and she seemed perfectly harmless.

"Danielle. I'm not sure if you recognize me at all but I'm here to help you. We both are." I pointed behind me but Leah's expression would suggest otherwise. She was on guard, prepared for an attack.

"Leah will you relax. You aren't helping." I whispered back at her. She relaxed her stance slightly.

We were only a couple feet from Danielle now. She appeared to be in some kind of shock. I slowly reached out for her hand to show her I meant no harm. Surprisingly she let me grab it. At last she moved, taking me as well as Leah in, now looking more alert.

"Trust me. Danielle I promise you can trust me. If you don't mind I would like to take you back to the Cullen's house. Nessie's family's house. They've been looking for you." The moment I said Cullen her eyes lit up and she nodded. I wrapped my arm around her and then looked back at Leah. She still seemed unsure, eyeing Danielle up with suspicion.

"Leah come on. I'll take you home after I get her to the Cullen's." But Leah only shook her head.

"Jacob I don't trust her." I widened my eyes and nodded towards Danielle. She obviously heard that and it wasn't helping my attempts to get her to come with me.

"No Jacob I'm serious. Something's wrong…"

"Stop being ridiculous Leah now let's go!" She still didn't move.

"Fine! Suit yourself. I'm leaving!" I stormed off with Danielle keeping pace by my side. I turned my head around one last time to see Leah still standing there, not too pleased but more concerned then anything. I didn't get it. This is Danielle. The girl barely weighed 100 pounds. She wasn't a threat against a wolf, let alone two.

She was silent the whole way there, even when I tried to ask her questions. She just looked straight ahead. But one thing I did take notice of was that whenever I mentioned Nessie or the Cullen's a small smirk would form on her mouth, which I found to be a little strange. Then again Nessie was her friend and I'm sure after being kidnapped for 3 days the sound of a familiar name was extremely welcoming to hear.

When we reached the house it was empty with the exception of Esme who was upstairs. I called her down telling her that I had good news. She raced down the steps and it took her only a brief second to realize who the blond girl next to me was. And Esme being Esme, she immediately went in for a hug, which I was shocked to see Danielle take with a big smile on her face, as if she had known her for years.

"Oh I'm so glad you are okay! Everyone should be home shortly and they will be so happy to see you!"

"I'll be very happy to see them too." Danielle said with the smile still spread across her face.

"Here I'll show you where the phone is so you can call your parent's! They will be so happy to hear from you…"

"No!" Both Esme and I stared at her stunned. What was with the outburst and why the hell wouldn't she want to talk to her parents?

"I mean I would rather not bother them at work. They hate that."

"Oh sweetie but I'm sure they would want…"

"Really Esme it can wait. I'd really rather not right now." Esme glanced over and me and then shrugged.

"Okay. If you think that's best. Can I get you something to eat you must be starving!"

"Oh no I'm fine." I exchanged a look with a baffled Esme and then watched her turn towards the kitchen, her brows furrowed in confusion much like mine. How is she not starving right now?

"You can have a seat while you wait for them to get home. It should be any minute now." I told her and I was spot on. The cars pulled up and out came everyone except Nessie, who I had just remembered was visiting Tara. I was tempted to text her and share the good news but I also wanted it to be a surprise.

Everyone walked in apparently knowing that someone unfamiliar was in the house, I'm guessing they smelled her. All of them sighed in relief and then really let what they were seeing sink in. Her clean and well-put appearance was a shock to them as well. No one really knew what to say. The one person who I had expected to come forward and be her usual bubbly self t stood in the back. Alice. I caught a glimpse of her face, zoned out, brows pushed close together in frustration. I recognized that look. It's the one she gets when she can't get a reading of someone's future. When they are blocked from her powers…

She looked up at Danielle who smiled warmly at everyone. I could see it there in her eyes, something wasn't right.


End file.
